biker etiquette

I'm all for a nod of the head on passing another biker. Some guy
overtaking me on the A35 yesterday actually turned around and gave me
a thumbs up.. narrowly missing an oncoming car. I think I value my
right knee more highly than a thumbs up to another biker somehow. I
like to keep more than a foot away from oncoming cars I think ,
yikes !!

Simon

 

"Nothing wrong with a bit of danger eh, biker boy"

 

"narrowly missing" is fine.

You're only too close when you remove the wingmirror of an oncoming
car with your elbow.

 

Left or right elbow?

 

Or bang your pillion's knee on a sticky-out bit of a vehicle you're
overtaking...

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3 (slightly broken, currently missing)
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

oh, right of course.

Only a completely reckless maniac would pass an oncoming car on the
right.

*ahem*

 

....or hit the stuck-out-the-window elbow of someone in the car's
passenger seat with the pannier of your R1150GS...

 

Rather oddly whilst in the car yesterday on the A18 near Laceby a group
of bikers cruised past me at a reasonable speed, the lead biker then
started waving his fist, but I've no idea what at, as he was a good way
in front of me and a good way behind the next car along, he did it again
a few hundred yards later. Very odd.

 

Or someone trying to avoid a hungover Kraut who has forgotten to drive
on the left.
Or someone in Europe.

 

Last year someone tried to pass me on their right as they came round a
bend too hot to find my van bearing down on him. And he was in a car.
I left him and his mates tembling in contemplation of what might have
been as they tried to work out how to recover the car from where it
was beached on the grass verge .

 

Reminds me of the time, Summer '62 IIRC, of a trip from a coffee bar
in Welwyn Garden City, along the (former) Great North Road (now A1000)
to Potters Bar, Enfield Ridgeway, and our 'home base' at the Amelia
Coffee Lounge at Oakwood. It was dark, and the group was 'making
progress' along this unlit road.

Heading south, just after the Cock O' The North pub (great cider in
those days) but before Brookman's Park Radio Station, as the leading
bike (Velocette Venom, 6V 24W headlight) I came up behind a slower
car. In the distance on the other side of the road was a tiny, dim
light, well over to its left, obviously a bicycle.

Snicking down to second and giving it some welly, I was happily
passing said car and accelerating well, when to my horror, a black
Morris Minor front wing passed under my right handlebar. It was
driving, in conditions of darkness, on a single tiny sidelight,
needless to say the nearside one. Had it been the offside one, I might
have guessed at what the situation was. Fortunately, the rest of the
group were just pulling out for the overtaking manoeuvre, so their
near-miss wasn't as near as mine. Never forgot that lesson....

 

mike. buckley wrote;

I think it's called an Ipod moment.

 

I used to have a watch with a strap that was just a bit too big. It used to
slide down until it was actaully covering the wrist joint, which was
uncomfortable. I developed a habit of raising my hand and shaking it
backwards and forwards to make the watch slide back to its proper position.
I wasn't really aware that I was doing it - until one day I was driving
along with my family in the cage and my son suddenly said "Dad, why do you
think that driver is a wanker?"